My Life in Heroic Ruins
by celery-stiff
Summary: When drastic times call for drastic measures, the Summer siblings have no choice but to be at the beck and call of S.H.I.E.L.D. and the Justice League once a dire situation threatens to plague their lives. Once Robin, Aqualad and Kid Flash form their co-op team under the instruction of Batman and the help of Nick Fury, how will the four siblings manage to survive? [Rated High T]
1. Prologue

**-THIS IS A REUPLOAD & REVAMPED VERSION OF THE STORY-**

 **A/N: THIS IS MY FIRST OFFICIAL YOUNG JUSTICE/MARVEL FANFIC, SO I HOPE YOU GUYS ENJOY IT AND THAT YOU WOULD LIKE TO READ MORE OF THIS STORY :)**

 **(DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN YOUNG JUSTICE OR MARVEL. I ONLY OWN A FEW ORIGINAL CHARACTERS)**

* * *

PROLOGUE

Change was an inevitable thing.

For the likes of one Brittany Summer, her life had been practically processed and regurgitated through the grinding machine of change. As opposed to possessing the rather unfortunate case of having a common cranial disorder, Brittany could be seen as just simply being a normal-looking thirteen-year-old girl from Queens. To most, people would often have the audacity to think that the sheer knowledge of having a brain disorder would instantly tear down a life such as Brittany's. However, little did those people know, this particular young girl wasn't impeded by her 'disability'.

During the day and most nights, Brittany Summer led the normal, sweet, intelligent and innocent life as the resident niece of May and (bless his resting soul) Benjamin Parker, making her the legal cousin of one ill-reputed Peter Parker.

However, whenever a situation in New York City called for help, the young blonde secretly led a double-life as the proud and courageous web-slinging partner of New York's infamous friendly neighborhood Spider-Man. She became Spider-Girl.

Despite this, there was really only one question that plagued the young teen's mind when the topic arose: How was it that whenever there was an instance where she would pass by a complete stranger on the street, that there _always_ was someone who had to stop and stare _just_ so they could get a good view of what they thought was abnormal? It baffled her every single day of her life, yet she always struggled to find a clear answer. If she'd try to discuss it with anyone else, they probably would have argued something along the lines of, "Just don't pay attention to them. Bystanders are just ignorant people," or more plainly, "Just ignore them."

These assumptions were more often than not, just lazy excuses.

For Brittany Summer, 'excuses' were slowly becoming a thing of the past. 'Excuses' were what got her into the life-changing predicament she and her siblings were currently in.

For _she_ was no ordinary girl.

 _She_ was Spider-Girl.

And _she_ was not going to let the anxiety of her 'odd' existence bring her spirits down.

With the many prepubescent influences consisting of boybands, popular TV soap operas and the ever-clichéd status quo of high school, Brittany's life could not get any stranger, especially when it came to her family.

Oh.

 _Anything_ but the dysfunctional mess that was her family.

To cut things a short in light of important things such as the bouts of teen drama, romance, and action that will unfold, it is of the utmost importance to clear up one thing about the Summer siblings that anyone should know.

They all stemmed from the stolen DNA of Captain Steven Rogers, or as he's more widely known as the patriotic figure that is Captain America.

Much to the siblings' dismay, it is currently unknown as to how and why this even came to be, but one thing was for sure: all four of the Summer children are full-fledged offspring of the legally dead man, and their very existence (according to S.H.I.E.L.D. scientists and officials) shouldn't even be possible. Unfortunately for the Summers, that mystery was for the government to keep under lock and key, and for them to find out when the time was right. One would almost call these terms 'An Ode to Nick Fury'.

Truthfully, the only warning one would need to heed for this story is inevitably this: this tale is most definitely not for the faint-hearted.

* * *

 **HELLO! Alright, without making this too long, I'll try and keep it short and sweet (probably much like this prologue lol). This is a REVAMP of the story of the same name, of which I, unfortunately,** **deleted because I thought it was absolutely horrendous and needed a much-deserved re-edit + makeover, as well as the chance to actually be completed and get a sequel out of it.**

 **So, without further ado, welcome to the new and improved version of** _ **My Life in Heroic Ruins**_ **, and if anyone manages to dig this up and think, "Hey, this story looks familiar! I once read something just like this but it was a much shittier version!" Welcome back ;)**

 **I know there wasn't really much to get from this prologue since I'm trying not to make this story as 'on the nose' as the old version, but a lot more things will be revealed as you read :P**

 **If you happened to like it, please feel free to review, favorite or follow the story if you wish. If you didn't like it – I understand, this is a concept I came up with when I was about twelve HAHA. But, honestly, my current motto is simple enough:** _ **why the fuck not?**_

 **Take care and Happy Reading! XD**


	2. Things Are Just Getting Started

**Chapter 1: Things Are Just Getting Started**

 **COAST CITY  
JULY 3, 21:45 EST**

Natasha Summer sighed, as she fell on her bed, looking up at the room's crisp orange ceiling. She felt extremely exhausted from finally finishing her entry application for the U.S. Air Force. Yes, she knew her decision was practically steering straight into the direction that her mentor took when he was the same age, but it was also _his_ influence that made her want to enlist. She'd only just recently turned eighteen and she needed to bring herself to join when she was as confident as humanly possible. However, her mind had been filled to the brim with so many doubts and thoughts lately, it felt like her head was going to burst simply from thinking too much.

Her myriad of thoughts had been enough for her to flippantly zone out of even the most straightforward of topics. This usually included blatantly ignoring the rather animated voice of her very talkative guardian, Hal Jordan.

"Alright, Tash," said Hal, munching on a sandwich, "So, tomorrow you have to get up super early so you can go impress Carl and his lovely employees which unfortunately include my not-girlfriend Carol, and then around quarter to two, we'll have to make sure we're at the Hall of Justice so Bats doesn't get up us for being late." The brunette man was busy haphazardly shuffling through a stack of papers in the kitchen whilst his quiet protégé was sat in the living room, attempting to multitask through simultaneously texting people, watching the news and listening to Hal speak.

"Yeah, yeah, sure thing," she muttered absentmindedly, quickly responding to a text message.

Hal looked up from his documents and his sandwich, his gaze landed on the preoccupied figure of the mousy-haired girl. The man inwardly sighed, knowing very well that Tash had probably heard nothing he'd said, so he decided to play a little game.

"Hey, so, uh… you know the Sun turned blue today," he said in a normal voice, knowing the exact reaction he was going to get.

"Yeah, yeah, sure thing," Tash responded, her eyes still glued to the glowing screen of her phone.

Hal narrowed his eyes.

"So, uh… I fucked a giraffe in Machu Picchu yesterday," Hal said nonchalantly, though he raised a brow at his own imagination.

"Yeah, yeah, sure thing," Tash repeated, clearly not listening to a word he said.

The man was beginning to lose his patience now. Before the antisocial girl could even notice that Hal had left the kitchen, Hal had silently walked over to the living room sofa and was virtually looming over Tash, blocking the glowing view of the television. His arms were crossed and his head was bowed, almost in a mockingly threatening fashion. It was almost hilarious.

Tash sighed in a bored tone. "You can stop trying to be Batman, Hal," she drawled, finally tearing her gaze away from her phone to give her mentor a deadpan look. "Unlike you, he actually makes standing like a scary, depressed bringer of death look cool. You just manage… to look depressed."

Hal stood, looking utterly stunned and flabbergasted by the eighteen-year-old's snarky comment. Quite frankly, he was almost offended.

"Well, you have my utmost apologies, _madam_ , but next time maybe you should try listening to what I have to say instead of constantly texting your boyfriend, Speedy not-so-Gonzales." He proudly smirked at his own humor, whereas Tash maintained a completely deadpan expression in reaction to his joke. Well, at least one person found Hal funny, even if it was himself.

Tash pinched the bridge of her nose in frustration, setting her phone down, much to Hal's delight. "Do you always think you're amusing?" She raised a brow incredulously, folding her arms.

"You've known me for almost eight years now, kid. You should know by now that I like to try and sprinkle every moment with a bit of laughter every now and then," Hal shrugged.

Tash did nothing but roll her eyes at his comment. "If you ask me, eight years is almost too long," she joked, as she got up from the couch to start walking to her room.

"Hey, don't even joke about that—missy!" _Good one, Hal. You should stop_ , he thought to himself.

"Pfft, says _you_! And, by the way, Speedy is _not_ my boyfriend!" Tash called out to him from the hallway, her voice carrying out through the apartment.

"Don't be late…!" Hal's voice trailed off, hearing Tash's bedroom door slam in an offense to his remark.

Tomorrow was going to be a good day.

* * *

 **GOTHAM CITY  
** **JULY 4, 12:00 EDT**

It was all nothing but another peaceful day up in Gotham City Park, with kids playing games and families hosting barbecues… until all was interrupted by none other than Mister Freeze, who had inconveniently started a freezing rampage by attacking innocent park civilians. As the villain took aim at the people trying to escape his latest attack, an unexpected batarang suddenly hit his cold gun, quickly saving the fleeing civilians.

"Batman. I was wondering when you'd—"

Freeze turned in the direction the batarang came from, only to find no one there. He then heard a very particular, impish laugh echo around him, as the red and black figure of Robin abruptly jumped onto his glass dome.

"Oh. Boy Wonder. The Bat sent you to drag me off to prison? Frankly, I'm underwhelmed," said Freeze.

Narrowing his eyes, Robin threw two batarangs at him, cracking two holes in Freeze's dome.

"Great, but I'm kinda in a hurry here," Robin quipped.

"Kids. Always in such a rush. I prefer to preserve these moments… forever."

With an annoyed expression, Robin spoke to Freeze, "Not talking to you."

As Freeze took his aim at the boy, a sudden shadow glided into the sky, revealing it to be Batman, as he threw a heavy punch at the villain, cracking the dome completely.

* * *

 **STAR CITY  
** **JULY 4, 09:01 PDT**

Icicle Jr. was busy wreaking havoc on the suspension bridge in Star City, flipping and overturning cars with his sharp cryokinetic powers.

As Junior laughed maliciously at his work, several colored arrows exploded around him. He looked to the top of the bridge to see Green Arrow and Speedy taking their aim.

"Finally… I was wondering what a guy had to do to get a little attention around here!" Junior exclaimed, throwing icicle shards at the two archers.

"Junior's doing this for attention?" Speedy scoffed, as he and Green Arrow deflected the shards with their arrows. They both skidded down one of the arches of the bridge and started shooting arrows again. "I'm telling you now, this little distraction better not interfere."

Usually, Oliver would joke about Roy already being distracted by a certain Green Lantern Girl always being on his mind, but he decided against it and just let Roy take satisfaction in stopping Junior.

The young man flipped into the air and skilfully shot an arrow at the young ice villain, knocking Junior out flat.

"Poor kid. Had a glass jaw," chuckled Green Arrow, nudging the broken piece of Junior's face with his bow.

"Hilarious. Can we go? Today's the day," said Speedy impatiently.

* * *

 **PEARL HARBOR  
** **JULY 4, 06:02 HST**

In the lagoon harbor in Hawaii, the two gallant Atlantean figures of Aquaman and Aqualad had arrived to prevent Killer Frost from destroying an oil tanker aboard a vessel.

With Killer Frost standing at the bow of the ship, the villainess hurled her ice powered attacks at the aquatic duo, who both dodged each strike, however Aquaman's torso haphazardly getting frozen by one particular attack.

Aqualad quickly leaped past Aquaman as his king broke out of the ice encasing him.

The blonde man quickly took this chance to acknowledge his partner. "Don't tell me you're not excited."

"Right now, my king, I am more focused on the matter at hand." Aqualad dodged more cryokinetic attacks from Killer Frost and quickly used his water-bearers in the form of two maces until Frost quickly shot a blast of ice at his water, solidifying it. Luckily, his reflexes were fast to swiftly knock her out with a ball of ice.

"Well?" Aquaman asked, his arms casually folded.

After a brief moment, the young Atlantean finally dropped the serious façade and admitted to his masked excitement he'd been building up all day.

"Yes, I'm excited. Today's the day."

* * *

 **CENTRAL CITY  
** **JULY 4, 11:03 CDT**

Meanwhile, in Central City, the ever-so energetic speedster duo of Flash and Kid Flash were attempting to prevent Captain Cold from robbing a local gem depository.

Cold had been relentlessly shooting at them with his cold gun, whilst the red and yellow flashes ran circles upon circles around him.

"Stealing ice? Seriously? Isn't that a bit cliché, even for Captain Cold?" Flash asked his protégé, still running a circle around the frosty villain.

Kid Flash was impulsively the first to act as he groaned impatiently, "Come _on_. We don't have time for this!"

Swiftly stealing Cold's gun, Kid skidded to the other side, running back into the circle, as Flash hastily punched Cold across the face, knocking him out.

"Calm down, Kid," said Flash, as they both stopped running.

"Oh, _please_. You'll chat it up with the cops, with bystanders – with _Cold_ , even! No. No way. Today's the day!" The ginger teen smiled, his grin spreading like sunshine across his face.

* * *

 **COAST CITY  
** **JULY 4, 13:04 EST**

"You're seriously still in bed?" Tash asked Hal, as she barged into his room and ripped open the curtains, bright sunlight streaming through the windows. "Look at this! You're not even sleeping! You're just lying there texting whichever girl you thought you hooked up with last night! And you get up me for being on my phone all the time!"

"Hey, that is _not_ true," Hal answered sleepily, shielding his eyes from the bright rays of the sun. "I was checking the weather patterns."

"Well, what does it look like to you outside, huh? Come on, Hal! Today is really important. I just came back from Ferris Aircraft to solidify my position in the company in front of a very angry-looking Carol Ferris, only to find out that you haven't even gotten out of bed yet!"

After a staggering lack of response from her lazy mentor, Tash had no choice but to pull out a bunch of flowers from a nearby vase and tip all of the excess water on Hal.

"AGH! What the heck was that for?!"

"The fact that you won't get off your ass! I do _not_ want to be the last ones at the Hall, okay? Now, hurry up. We're leaving in twenty minutes.

" _Today's the day."_

* * *

 **WASHINGTON DC  
** **JULY 4, 14:00 EDT**

Upon the arrival of Batman, Aquaman, Green Arrow, and their partners, everyone's favorite Green Lantern and Green Lantern Girl had surprisingly arrived at the venue before the speedsters did.

"Wow. I would've thought that Flash and KF would be here before us," Hal spoke to Green Arrow.

"Let me guess. You slept in?" asked Arrow, before the girl clad in green could intervene.

"Oh, understatement of the year. He was supposed to leave our place and meet me here after my job meeting so we'd be the first ones here."

"And how'd your meeting with the Ferris company go? Did you get the job?"

"With flying colors. And, no, I'm not apologizing for the pun," Tash stood sporting a snooty grin on her face, making Hal roll his eyes and Speedy to smirk.

"Great job, Tasha," Green Arrow proudly clapped a hand on her shoulder, as the two speeding figures of Flash and Kid Flash could be seen zooming up to the heroes. Just in the nick of time, too.

"Aw, man. I knew we'd be the last ones here!" KF exclaimed.

Once everyone settled down, the group of superheroes began to make their way down the long aisle toward the prestigious building that was the Hall of Justice. Along the way, a heap of paparazzi and random fans started to shout out things like:

"I see Flash and Flash Jr.!"

"His name is Speedy."

"No, Speedy's Green Arrow's sidekick!"

"Well, that makes no sense."

"They're right. It does make no sense," Tash whispered to Roy, before he replied with, "Oh, shut up." That caused Tash to laugh, making Hal and Oliver exchange looks.

"Hey, what's so funny?" KF butted in, shuffling between them.

"Well, nothing now," Tash answered, pulling a straight face which amused Roy.

The adult Leaguers arrived at the imminent structure before them with their ecstatic protégés.

"Have all five sidekicks been in the same place at the same time?" KF asked, his green eyes filled with wonder.

" _Don't_ call us sidekicks. Not after today," Speedy said coldly.

"Yeesh," said Kid Flash, going to Robin's side. "First time at the Hall. I'm a little overwhelmed."

"You're overwhelmed, Freeze was underwhelmed – why isn't anyone ever just _whelmed?_ " asked Robin.

The group entered the Hall and Robin stared in awe at the sight of the giant golden statues of the founding members of the Justice League.

"Oh. Maybe that's why."

The heroes then got greeted by Martian Manhunter and Red Tornado. Manhunter formally walked up to the young heroes. "Robin, Green Lantern Girl, Speedy, Aqualad, Kid Flash. Welcome."

Kid Flash and Robin quickly did their little fist bump, as Aqualad pushed them along.

"You now have unlimited access to the gym, our fully stocked galley, and of course, our library," Manhunter continued whilst everyone walked into the library.

"Make yourselves at home," said Flash, happily gesturing toward grouped armchairs, while Speedy and GLG chose to stand.

The whole moment turned silent and slightly awkward, so Tash picked up a book from a random shelf and pretended to be interested in it. It was too late for her to put it back; it was conveniently _Pride & Prejudice_.

"We shouldn't be long," said Batman. The Hall's computer began scanning each present member of the League.

"Recognized: Batman, 02; Flash, 04; Green Lantern, 05; Aquaman, 06; Martian Manhunter, 07; Green Arrow, 08; Red Tornado, 16." That, to the younger heroes, was altogether pretty cool but also pretty tedious.

"Wait. That's it?" Speedy asked in an agitated tone.

He turned to the rest of the protégés before him. "They're treating us like kids! Even worse, like _sidekicks_ ," he said, accentuating the word 'sidekicks'. "We deserve better than this."

The scene had become achingly awkward that even the tourists looking through the bay window had stopped taking pictures to try and see what was going on.

"You're kidding me, right?" He asked his fellow comrades. "You're playing their game?! Why? Because you think they play fair?! Today was supposed to be _the_ day," he emphasized with his fist. "Step one into becoming full-fledged members of the League."

"Well, sure man," Kid Flash answered nervously. "But I thought step one was just the tour of the HQ?"

"Except the Hall isn't the League's real HQ! I bet they didn't tell you this is a false get-up for tourists and a pit stop for catching Zeta Beam teleporter tubes to the real thing." Everyone remained extremely uncomfortable by how Speedy knew all of this. "An orbiting satellite via the Watchtower."

At this point, not even Wally had anything to say. Instead, Green Arrow got welcomed by a stern glare from the one and only Batman.

"I know, I know, but I thought maybe we could make an exception…?" The archer said in a sheepish manner. Yet, Batman remained motionless. "Or not."

Aquaman stepped up to Roy. "You're not helping your cause here, son. Stand down. Or—"

"Or what?" Roy hastily interrupted. "You'll send me to my room? And I'm not your son." He looked over at his mentor. "I'm not even his. I thought I was his partner," the redhead said, taking off his canary yellow hat, proceeding to throw it on the floor. He briskly turned away and began walking toward the exit.

"I guess they're right about you three. You're not ready," he aimed at the boys, who were still sitting in their seats.

Roy then walked over to Tash, who wore a disappointed frown on her face, arms crossed.

"And you… I thought I expected better from you," he said, yet his face clearly had hurt written all over it.

"Well, I thought I expected better from _you_ ," she retorted, although almost immediately regretting her words. She made her way back to her mentor's side.

Not thinking of anything else to say, Roy took one last look at Tash, not even bothering to look at his other colleagues, and proceeded to make his way out.

Feeling aggravated and hurt from the exchange that had just occurred, Tash faced the floor, almost disappointed in herself that she didn't leave with Roy. As much as she hated to admit it, he had a point; she also came to the Hall with the full intention of finally being inducted into the Justice League. Oh, how wrong she was.

"It's okay. He just needs some space," Hal muttered, placing a gentle hand on Tash's shoulder. Usually, Tash would get defensive about someone talking about the unofficial relationship she and Roy shared, but this time it was different; she _wanted_ people to know that she was head over heels for him but, after his outburst which had happened not just a few seconds ago, Tash didn't know what to think anymore.

One thing was for sure: boy troubles aside, there was something that Tash had totally pushed aside so she could focus on her busy day. It was the fourth of July and every year she and her siblings would celebrate by reuniting as the makeshift family they were and celebrate American independence.

However, what none of the siblings knew yet, was that this year on the fourth of July, their lives were about to drastically change.

* * *

 **Hey guys! Thank you to anyone that reviewed. I hope you liked this chapter and that you follow my three R's: READ, REVIEW & REMEMBER!**

 **Take care and Happy Reading ;)**


	3. Happy Fourth of July

**Chapter 2: Happy Fourth of July**

 **NEW YORK CITY  
JULY 4, 15:38 EDT**

"Web-head, watch out!"

Brittany Summer was _not_ having a very peaceful day. _At all_.

"Thanks for the tip, Spider-Girl!" The red and blue figure of Peter Parker à la Spider-Man, and his trusty partner, Spider-Girl, were in the midst of getting their butts kicked by a very vexed-looking group of Kingpin thugs, who were conveniently holding a plethora of dangerous weapons, one of which, happened to have a fully loaded rocket launcher.

"I'm really starting to think we should've stayed home today!" Peter exclaimed, quickly dodging the rocket launcher's line of fire, nearly getting blown into smithereens in the process. "Jeez, that was close!"

"Hm… you think?!" Brittany retorted, running along a thin steel beam, avoiding the oncoming thugs that were hot on her tail. "Aunt May's making buffalo wings and potato salad tonight! I at least wanna stay alive for that!" The young blonde hastily dodged a flurry of oncoming bullets from more henchmen that had pulled up to the scene.

"Great," she groaned irately, "there's more of them now." Two henchmen began charging toward her small frame, but she, fortunately, flipped out of the way in time, simultaneously webbing them both to a large stack of crates. "Can we please call for backup now?!"

"Fisk's gonna have ya heads on a platter for interruptin' his plans, ya punks!" A rather large brute of a thug threatened the two webslingers, only to make Peter chortle.

"Ah. I'm sure Mr. Fisk would _love_ that!" Peter quickly swung down from his position underneath a metal platform, landing right in front of the loud-mouthed thug, quickly snatching his weapon away from him, using all of his might to drag him across the ground, and then proceeded to kick the man into unconsciousness as he did a backflip.

"Spider-Man!" His younger protégé scolded him for the sheer amount of theatrics, whilst simultaneously dealing with her own guys.

Before he could make a comment, more henchmen started pouring into the compound.

"Spider-Man, can we _please_ call for backup?! _Now?!_ " Brittany pleaded, punching a thug across the face, however, her form was quickly getting sloppy and her body was getting exhausted easily. "I don't think I can hold out for much longer! I haven't taken my second dose of meds yet!" Now, this was usually when the job got difficult.

"No need to worry, webs!" The older Spider yelled, shooting lines of web fluid in pretty much every direction there was that included a person working for Fisk. "I buzzed the line for help a while ago, she should be here any minute!"

"Wait—who is 'she'?!" Brittany asked incredulously.

Before her partner could answer, a burst of gruff laughter erupted from one of the other brutes of Fisk's henchmen. "HA! No one's gonna come save ya, kids! Y'all better—" _THUD_.

A momentary pause caused both spider vigilantes to freeze in their places, wondering what had just made the man stop talking and crash to the ground.

"'Y'all better' what, huh?" A familiar female voice echoed throughout the complex; a glowing figure clad in a tight Green Lantern suit was slowly descending from above, floating in mid-air. On their fist was a glowing green light emanating from their power ring, surging with sheer willpower. "Yeah, that's right. Stay down."

"Tash! You're here! Oh, thank god!" Brittany breathed a huge sigh of relief, quickly webbing a thug's mouth closed so they couldn't speak.

"Hey, don't thank God! Thank _me!_ I'm the one who called her!" Peter yelled, knocking out a guy with a single kick.

"Oof! Nice K.O., web-head," Tash complimented the younger hero, forming a green bo-staff from her ring.

" _Thank you_ , Natasha. At least _someone_ ," Peter stared pointedly at his partner, "appreciates my effort."

Brittany scoffed and rolled her eyes at her smart-mouthed cousin. She was grateful she was wearing a full-face mask, otherwise, she and Peter would probably be the ones fighting instead of Fisk's men. "Can we just please get this over with so we can end the physical exhaustion and go home?"

"You kids ain't goin' nowhere!" A thug began rampaging in the direction of Brittany, however, Tash was faster.

"Double negative, asshole!" The older girl called out, performing different maneuvers with her bo-staff, all while doing direct damage to the dumbstruck man. She pushed him to the ground in no time, knocking him out in one last hit with a baseball bat she'd quickly materialized. After a few seconds, her breathing became even again and she blew a lock of hair out of her face. She looked up to see the remaining Fisk cronies either webbed up or completely passed out.

"Huh. If you could handle all the bad guys yourselves, why'd you feel the need to call me?" Tash folded her arms, walking up to the worn out figures of Peter and her little sister.

"Er…" Peter scratched the back of his neck nervously. "…contingency?"

Brittany swung her head in Peter's direction; he knew what that look meant, even with her mask on.

"So… I'm just a contingency now, am I?" The eighteen-year-old raised her brow disappointedly.

"No! That's not what I—"

"Tash, I haven't taken my second dosage of medication today, and if it weren't for _Spider-Man's_ request for your intervention earlier, this fight would've finished much later and I would probably be in an ambulance by now," Brittany explained in one go, her shoulders sinking as she spoke.

"Oh, shit," Tash's form relaxed, as she went up to Brittany, placing both hands on her sister's shoulders. "Are you gonna be okay? When was the last time you took your meds? And why the hell are you _here_ of all places?" She gestured toward the now decrepit construction site they were standing in; the sun slowly setting as the afternoon went by.

"I… I took my pills at around nine this morning and… _Spider-Man_ and I have been investigating cases of missing S.H.I.E.L.D. tech and paraphernalia. The trail we followed led to one of Wilson Fisk's construction sites, which is here, so—"

"Wait! Spider-Girl, shush!" Peter put a hand over Brittany's mouth, carefully using his spider-sense to locate a row of vehicles nearing the construction site. "Guys, we need to get out of here. Now."

"Good plan," Tash quipped, quickly facing Brittany again. "Can you stand? Are you guys okay to get back home or what?"

"Tash, I don't think I can stand for much longer." Brittany was now breaking a cold sweat under the skin-tight expanse of her suit.

Peter was starting to fidget with his hands the more anxious he got about the oncoming vehicles, and Tash could clearly see it. "Come on, I'll take you guys home. I came here via Zeta Beam so I, unfortunately, don't have my car. We're gonna have to fly."

"Whoa, seriously?" Peter gushed excitedly. He loved the prospect of trying out other superhero things that weren't his normal powers.

"Yes," Tash said, slowly losing her patience.

"Holy shit…" Peter quietly muttered under his breath, both he and Tash each taking one side of Brittany to carry for the ride home.

Once the three of them were stable enough, Tash fabricated a giant glowing green sphere around them to avoid any accidents from happening on the way back. "Hold on to your butts," Tash casually instructed, pursing her lips as they began to lift off.

The sphere began floating higher and higher into the air, gaining altitude as they went into the sky. They didn't go high enough to reach the clouds, but anyone could tell Natasha had experience with navigating the skies.

"Oh, my god. I can't believe we're flying. And I haven't even been in a plane before!" Peter enthused, gently letting go of Brittany since it was safe enough to lift her weight off for a bit.

"Wow, really?" Tash asked with genuine curiosity. She knew the Parkers weren't really the type of family to just up and spend their money on vacations, but she at least thought Peter would have been on an airplane, even if it was just interstate. "Huh. I'll have to take you some time. Flying's awesome."

Peter chuckled awkwardly. "If I'm being quite honest, flying in the air with a full-fledged Justice League member is awesome enough, in my books."

Ah. The thing. The thing that Tash had been wanting to avoid since earlier that afternoon.

"Oh," the older hero said nervously, busying herself with looking down at the bird's eye view of the city. "Um… well… it's, er… it's certainly a story, alright, but…" She paused. "Look, I'm just gonna say it now so we don't we don't have to pick up on the topic later, but… the League members who were at the Hall with their protégés, as well as me, had a bit of a falling out with Roy, and… he ended up leaving. The League got called up for an important mission involving Wotan and then you called me asking for backup later on. So, here I am. An unofficial Justice League member, I guess."

Tash's power ring glowed malevolently as various emotions ran through her mind, making her wish she didn't say anything to Peter and just lied. But, she wasn't that type of person.

"Oh… I'm really sorry to hear that you and Roy—and everyone else—had a falling out," Peter bit the inside of his cheek, not really knowing what to do. "That sucks."

Tash smirked at his reaction. "It's alright, Pete. You don't have to feel sorry for me. If this is what being an adult is like, then I guess I better get used to it sooner than later." She gave the boy a smile before checking their location. "Hey, we're almost at your apartment." She looked next to her to where she was still holding up her weakened sister. "Hey, Britt, you alright? You're really warm through that mask."

"Yeah…" Brittany replied softly, standing almost completely limp against her sister's shoulder.

"Come on, we're almost there," Tash murmured, gently patting her shoulder.

Eventually, the three young heroes landed on the rooftop of the apartment building; the green sphere evaporated at Tash's will, leaving them standing in the late afternoon sun.

"There," Peter spoke in a hushed tone, not wanting to bring any unwanted attention to them. "We have a duffel bag full of clothes we keep up here so Brittany and I don't have to go to the trouble of sneaking into our rooms to change into civvies."

"Huh. Resourceful. I like it," Tash replied, dematerializing her Green Lantern suit, revealing her normal clothes. She carefully set Brittany down, seizing a skirt and a turtleneck from the bag for her to wear. "Come on, sis. You just have to get changed and then we'll bring you back to Aunt May and your medicine."

Brittany delicately took the clothes from Tash and shuffled to a shadowed corner where she wouldn't feel so exposed. "I hate tight clothes…" she murmured, sluggishly changing tops whilst Peter was adamant about looking away and being the chivalrous gentleman he was.

"Doesn't everyone?" Tash asked rhetorically, checking her back pocket for her phone, which had been switched off unbeknownst to her. As the two web-heads got ready to switch back to their 'normal' lives, Tash turned her phone back on to find she had about five missed calls; three from Roy and two from her brother, Joseph, as well as a bunch of unread texts—also from Roy and Joseph.

 _What did these two want to talk about so much that they had to leave so many calls and messages behind?_ She thought to herself, her brow furrowed deeply. She'd find out soon enough, but for now: dealing with the young ones plus Aunt May.

"You guys done?" She sighed, shoving her phone in the back pocket of her jeans.

Peter looked over at the lithe figure of Brittany, who'd just finished putting her shoes back on. "Yeah, pretty much."

"Alright. Let's skidad, kids," Tash sighed wearily, her heeled boots impacting the concrete roof as she made her way to the door. "Wait," she stopped, her fingers just touching the handle, "do people think it's normal when you guys come through from the roof? Is this door even open?" She jiggled the handle to find out that it was indeed locked.

"Yeah, we usually have to use our wall-crawling ability to scale down the building until it looks like we were just walking on the street, then we just go through the front entrance like normal," Peter put his hands on his hips, looking back and forth between sisters.

"Huh," Tash nodded slowly, slightly impressed by the duo's ability to be covert, but was also stunted by the thought of not being able to climb walls as they could. "Well, you can take care of Brittany going down the building if you can, and I think I'll just discreetly fly down, or something."

"It's not like we were just flying in a big green bubble in the sky or anything a few minutes ago. But, okay, you do you." Peter did a two-finger salute before proceeding to give Brittany a piggyback whilst he carefully scaled down the side of the apartment building. "See ya there." And like a ninja, he disappeared.

"Cool," Tash said to herself, bringing out her power ring again. "Hopefully I have enough charge left for this." And without further ado, Natasha had materialized a lasso of green rope and got to work, abseiling as quietly as she could until she reached the deep pit of a dark alleyway. "Ew, this place is manky as fuck…" She muttered, the rope evaporating from her hands, leaving the only light in the dark to be her ring's glowing light. She quickly ran along the almost-decrepit alley and found herself in a softly-lit street where the rest of civilization was. _Thank God_.

Tash found no one standing outside the apartment building's entrance, meaning Peter and Brittany must have already gone inside. Once she'd made her way in, she went up a couple flight of stairs until she reached the number of the Parkers' apartment. Being the polite, courteous young woman she was, she lightly knocked on the door to get greeted by a frazzled May Parker.

"Tasha!" May greeted, pleasantly shocked to see her unofficial niece at her doorstep. "Long time, no see. It's so good to see you!"

"Hey, May. It's good to see you, too," Tash flashed a toothy grin, getting dragged into a tight embrace by the energetic woman. She quickly took this opportunity to look past May's shoulder to see a pale, limp Brittany lying on the couch with a damp cloth draped over her forehead, while Peter was busy rummaging through the bathroom's medicine cabinet for Brittany's antiepileptic medication.

"Oh, honey, I've missed you so much. Kat and Joe, too," May pulled back, getting a good look at her eighteen-year-old 'niece'. "Oh, my god. You've grown up way too fast. Come inside! We'll talk more." Tash stepped inside, closing the door behind her. May started bustling about the apartment, making sure everything was ready for Independence Day celebrations, probably.

Tash started to think that Brittany being on the brink of passing out from the lack of a good medication schedule was probably a regular occurrence in the Parker household, since May walked right past the blonde girl, and went straight to the food she'd been preparing earlier in the kitchen. "Dinner will be ready in about an hour, Tasha. You're more than welcome to stay and eat and watch the fireworks with us."

At that point, Peter had already given Brittany her medication and left her poor body to rest on the couch.

"Hey, May, did you need some help with those potatoes?" Peter offered, strolling into the kitchen only to have his aunt point in his direction with the knife she was holding. In a joking manner, of course.

"Peter Benjamin Parker, the last time you tried to cook with me, it ended up with the entire building needing to evacuate because there was so much smoke in the air. It could've been the Burning Man festival," May threatened sternly, while Peter slowly backed away, signaling his surrender. Tash couldn't help but laugh at their little antics. Sometimes she envied having a cute family like this, even if they weren't perfect all the time.

She took this time to quickly check her phone again. She didn't want to be _that_ person who took five years to reply to their messages.

First, she thought she should reply to her brother since she knew she'd be scolded later on for not replying fast enough.

It read:

 **From: Joe Summer  
** July 4, 14:23 PM

 **Joe:** Hey sis, can you please explain to me why Nick Fury is at the X-Mansion telling me that Wilson Fisk is threatening to kill our family?!

Tash widened her eyes at his message, before reading his next one:

 **From: Joe Summer  
** July 4, 14:24 PM

 **Joe:** Anytime soon would be nice! :(

The eldest Summer sibling suddenly felt a pang of guilt at the fact that she'd turned her phone off without even checking to see if anything important came up. She'd have to call him back as soon as possible, but not before seeing what Roy had to say to her, as well.

 **From: Roy Harper  
** July 4, 14:45 PM

 **Roy:** Hey

 **From: Roy Harper  
** July 4, 14:45 PM

 **Roy:** I'm sorry for speaking to you and the others like that at the Hall

 **From: Roy Harper  
** July 4, 14:46 PM

 **Roy:** I didn't mean what I said but I hope you can understand that I was just upset. I hope you can call me back

Tash didn't get anything else from him, aside from the three calls she'd missed. She put her phone down and sighed lightly, rubbing her eyes, realizing how exhausted she actually was. After dinner, she'd have to take a raincheck on the fireworks and head home to sleep through the Fourth of July celebrations.

Whilst Peter and May talked animatedly to each other about the last time Peter tried to be a chef, Tash couldn't stand the thought of any more time passing by without checking on the people who needed her, so she got up and headed for the one room in the apartment that no one would dare go into without knocking. "Hey, May, is it alright if I use your room to return a few calls? Joe will kill me if he gets perpetually ignored."

"Oh, yeah, of course, sweetie. Take your time," May obliged, glazing a tray of chicken wings, as Peter carefully attempted to stack pringles on top of Brittany's forehead while she slept.

"Thanks, May," Tasha smiled, shaking her head at Peter as she entered the room, gently shutting the door behind her.

May's bedroom was of course, tidy and very feng shui if she did say so herself. Deciding that it was better not to risk Peter using his spider senses to hear what she'd say, Tash went ahead and opened the bedroom window to go outside to the fire escape. She sat on the metal steps of the platform and dialed the first person she needed to speak with.

After a few dials, Joseph finally picked up the phone. " _Hello?_ "

"Hey… it's me. Sorry I didn't answer any of your calls or texts."

Joe pre-emptively sighed. " _It's alright. I'm sure you had a good reason_."

"I did, trust me. I think Brittany almost died." She immediately regretted saying those words as casually as she did. "But—she's fine now!" She laughed nervously, trying to ease the tension.

Joe wasn't amused. " _Just please tell me that you guys are okay, now, at least?_ "

"Yes, of course, Joseph. I'm at the Parkers' apartment."

" _Tasha, listen to me: Professor X and I conferred with Fury, and we've all agreed that the best option for us is to leave New York_."

Well, that was a bomb and a half. The eldest Summer found herself unquestionably dumbfounded by the information that her _younger_ brother had just dumped on her.

"I'm sorry… beg your pardon?" Tash's eyes were wide open, as she sat on the edge of the steps.

" _Don't make me tell you again. You know what you heard. Get Brittany, and get the hell out of New York while you still can._ "

"Wait, wait, wait—Joseph, what the fuck?!" Tash was now standing, utterly bewildered by this sudden revelation.

He sighed again, as doors could be heard slamming and heavy footsteps filled the background. " _Look, just promise me that you and Britt will make it out of New York by the end of tonight, okay? You need to get back to Coast City with Hal where it's safer and you need to take Brittany, as well, alright?_ "

"Jesus Christ, you sound more like an adult than I do," Tash dragged her face down as she face-palmed in distress. "This is all happening so fast, what the hell…"

" _Yeah, well, that's what having no parental figures for your whole life does to you, Tash._ "

Yikes. That certainly strung a chord.

Wanting so badly to say, 'I know', Tash opted to say instead, "Well… what about you and Kat? Is she still in Gotham? I haven't called her yet, today. The both of you should've been here in Queens. I just happened to get called here early by Peter when he asked for backup against a bunch of Fisk's dickwads."

" _Kat's still with Selina, but I called them and Selina's decided to shack her up with someone she trusts._ "

"And you trusted Selina to make that decision?!" Tash asked panickily, knowing too well that Selina Kyle was the type of woman who had proven herself to be nothing but a flight risk. For all Tash and Joe knew, Kat could've been shipped off to a sloppier part of Gotham where no one would find her.

" _Look, I can't say who Kat is staying with right now since I haven't left the mansion yet, but I will as soon as I know I won't get eavesdropped and YOU and Brittany are safe._ "

Tash began to retort, "But—"

" _I'm truly sorry that you had to find out like this, Tash, but I really gotta go. I'll call you as soon as I make it out of the city and somewhere safe. Love you, sis_." And the line ended.

Tash was left completely speechless.

There were literally no words that she could use to fully comprehend the terror and worry that she had been feeling at that very moment. Was her family really being threatened to die at the hands of New York's Kingpin of Crime, Wilson Fisk? Did they really have to vacate the city before the end of the night? What was going to happen to Brittany's life? What was going to happen to everyone else's if even Kat had to be shipped to god knows where? There was only one way to find out, and that, unfortunately, meant having to miss out on a homecooked meal by Aunt May as well as watching the annual Fourth of July fireworks over the riverside.

* * *

 **Finito!**

 **I hope you liked it! Please don't forget about my three R's: READ, REVIEW & REMEMBER!**

 **Happy Reading! ;)**


	4. Out With the Old

**Chapter 3:** **Out With the Old**

 **COAST CITY  
JULY 5, 08:16 EST**

Three dials. After three dials, she'd stop calling him. Probably.

"Come on… pick up, pick up, pick up—"

Roy Harper's steely, surprisingly clear voice, answered the phone. " _It's me_."

Slightly taken aback, Tash raised a brow, curtly replying with, "Good morning to you, too."

" _Sorry_ ," Roy sounded just as exhausted as his not-girlfriend was. " _Swell morning to you, Tasha. I pretty much pulled an all-nighter trying to solve my living situation, as well as keep worrying about you since you answered none of my calls or texts yesterday_."

Ah. Tash could tell she was going to get a lot of the same phrase shot at her in the next couple of days.

"Yeah… I'm really sorry about that. If it's any consolation, a lot _did_ happen last night which I need to fill you in on, plus I also need to check that you're holding out okay." The tired girl paced around the kitchen of the loft she shared with her mentor, which now was host to the sleepy young guest that was Brittany Summer.

Roy could be heard smirking over the phone at the fact that Natasha was genuinely worried about him since his own (ex)mentor was too busy to even check in on him. " _Tasha, you know there's no point in worrying about me when you know I'm going to do just fine on my own. Besides, you need to be concentrating more on the 'a lot' part of last night that you haven't told me about yet_."

The Green Lantern exhaled, a deep frown plaguing her features, as she sluggishly took a seat at the kitchen's breakfast bar, feeling sick at the thought of recounting the previous night's events. "Well… to cut things a bit short…" She raked a hand through her unkempt hair. "Basically, what happened was that after the… _situation_ at the Hall yesterday…" She paused. "Well, do you remember my sister's adoptive cousin, Peter? Parker?"

" _The guy who calls himself Spider-Man? Yeah, of course_."

Tash rolled her eyes at the fact that Roy's hero name was, in fact, 'Speedy', reigning him a bit of a hypocrite. "Well, he called me up—way before the designated time I was supposed to be in New York for Fourth of July celebrations with my siblings—to ask me to help him out since he was fighting a bunch of Wilson Fisk's men with my little sister."

" _Jesus… continue_."

"And we—more like _they_ —finished the job, going back to their aunt's apartment, as we always try to do every year, if all of us aren't busy on the fourth. _Then_ , I decide to call Joseph back since you weren't the only one who busy trying to get a hold of me—"

" _Mhm_."

"And, just out of the blue, dearest Joseph lets me know that the director of S.H.I.E.L.D., Nick Fury, paid him a visit at the X-Mansion. Apparently, the outcome of their little conference subsequently ended up being that the Kingpin of Crime himself, Wilson Fisk, wants to eliminate my family. Those not being the exact words he used. So, I left New York and brought Brittany with me to Coast City, and she's now crashing at my place. It was a wee bit of a challenge trying to explain the whole situation to her Aunt May and Peter, but Spider-Boy decided that he needed to stay in New York and try to do as much as he could to make sure Fisk stays in his lane."

The other line was silent for a strong moment before Roy finally said something back. _"Jesus Christ. Are you all gonna be okay? Tasha, I'm telling you, if you need_ anything—"

"Roy, you're already going through enough as it is. I'd be asking too much of you to even touch this situation."

" _Tash, you're not the one I'm mad at. I even spoke to Kaldur about it, I'll be fine. That, however, is going to change if I find out you're in a case where some assistance can really alleviate your problems._ "

The Green Lantern was so close to saying, "Well, isn't that the pot calling the kettle black?" but refrained from doing so; Roy's temper really got the better of himself these days and Tash had yet to know why. She didn't fancy prodding that particular bear with a stick.

"Roy…" Tash breathed a heavy sigh, dragging her hand down her face. "I know that you've said time and time again that you'll always have my back, and there have been a few instances where whatever's been going on between us has been _more_ than just that, but—"

" _Tash._ "

"—I think you've already done so much for me at this point in time, especially since we're both fresh out of high school—"

" _Natasha Summer_." Oof, he put down the full name card.

" _If you think that I'm going to stand by and watch as you and your family get torn apart and terrorized from a dangerous threat like this, then you, ma'am, have got me all wrong._ "

Natasha breathed impatiently through her nose. "…are you sure you're willing to do this?"

" _If I wasn't, then I wouldn't have said so in the first place._ "

Granted, the redhead had a point. After a pause, Tash finally answered, "Fine. I'll let you help me. But only because I know you'll end up helping me anyway if I said no and also because you know your way around Gotham more than I do."

Roy would have predictably frowned in confusion at that. " _Gotham? Why do you need me to go to Gotham?_ "

"Not _you_ ," Tash enunciated, " _we_ are going to Gotham."

" _May I ask why?_ "

"I do have three siblings, Roy. One of them is still dwelling in the depths of Gotham and—" As if right on cue, Tash's phone lit up with a text displayed on the lock screen, it being from Joseph, finally.

She paused mid-speech to put the phone on loud speaker in order to simultaneously read the extensive message:

 **From: Joe Summer  
** July 5, 08:26 AM

 **Joe:** Hey sis, here's the address Selina sent me last night. Sorry it took so long. Needed to make sure I wasn't being tracked/followed. I mean you could just look up the address on google since it's technically a celebrity residence but it was still the safest place for Kat to go according to Selina. Don't be too long, I'm heading to CC soon. Later x

"—we've gotta get there as soon as possible. Roy, whereabouts are you at the moment?" Tash quickly slid down from her seat at the breakfast bar and went over to the coatrack near the front door to try and one-handedly shrug her brown leather jacket on.

" _I'm still in Star City. What about you?_ "

"Get a Zeta-Tube to Gotham. I'll meet you there in a few. We're gonna visit someone you'd probably rather avoid right now, but if my sister's currently under their roof, we can't leave her be. It's not safe without us."

" _And where exactly would we be going?_ "

Tash took her set of keys from the bowl sitting on the console table near the door; they jangled in her hand as she swiftly swung the door open and quickly locked it before slamming it shut. She took one last look at the linked location that her phone automatically set into a route in Google Maps, and turned her phone off of loud speaker.

"We're gonna go say hi to our good ol' friend, Bruce Wayne."

* * *

 **GOTHAM CITY  
JULY 5, 09:10 EDT**

Katrina Summer groaned inwardly as she primly sat, one leg elegantly crossed over the other, in one of the expensively fabricated chairs of the main living room in Wayne Manor. At her feet were a collection of (suspiciously) designer bags filled with her belongings. An uninterested-looking Dick Grayson sat across from her, intently trying to beat a level on the game he was playing on his phone.

The sixteen-year-old girl rolled her eyes, resting her head on her knuckles, bearing a disdained look of boredom, hearing the continuous _zap!_ and _pew!_ from Robin's game.

"Why are you so invested in playing that crappy game?" Kat looked past Dick's hunched form, opting to observe the overcast light spilling through the large paneled windows.

"I find it's better than talking to you," Dick replied nonchalantly, furiously tapping a spot on the screen with his thumb as quickly as he could, seemingly performing a power move that could only be played through a match in a particular fighting game.

The golden blonde narrowed her eyes at the twerpy form of the Boy Wonder and pondered whether Alfred or Bruce would be mad to find the bird-boy stuck to the wall covered in duct tape. Unfortunately, the girl could only dream since both Alfred and Bruce entered the living room, both with placid looks on their faces. Actually, scratch that—Bruce had a grimace going on, Alfred was the one who looked normal.

Bruce stood in front of the two teens, Alfred standing a way apart from him, ready for any form of service.

"Well, 'Trina, I think you'll be glad to hear that your sister is on her way here now, and you'll be free to go home with her as we try to sort out your situation along with S.H.I.E.L.D." Bruce had folded his arms in a relaxed manner, his true persona somewhat different from his _other_ persona. Kat couldn't bother comprehending who Bruce actually was, whether it be Bruce Wayne or Batman, but she was too tired and bothered to care. She just wanted to get some decent sleep after the hectic night she'd had with Selina and Joseph.

"Cool," Kat answered equably, her ringed and acrylic-nailed fingers found themselves clasped on the chair's plush armrests. "Still. I can't believe Selina's not even here to see me off. Bitch."

Both Bruce and Alfred turned abruptly at Kat's sharp tone and language; even Dick managed to look up from his game, raising a brow at his former comrade. Bruce sighed, almost defeatedly, as if he were at a loss for proper words. "…Kat, you know she's had her hands full with everything that she's gotten herself into."

"Yeah. 'Everything that she's gotten herself into' being the mess she's made with the Falcone crime family _again_." Kat's velvet red lipstick contrasted perfectly against her porcelain skin; the cat eye look she constantly wore accentuated her features beautifully. Those accents, however, were scornfully marred every time she put on a scowl. "I tell her every damn time to _not_ keep getting involved with them. Jesus Christ…" The girl put her head in her hands, trying hard not lose it in front of the three males in front of her.

"Kat," Bruce walked over to the young girl, kneeling down so he was resting more at her level. He put a single hand on the edge of the armrest, looking up at Kat's deep frown. "You know she's trying to get this situation under control. In order for her to do that, she needs to make sure that you're safe, which isn't going to happen if you stay here in Gotham. As safe as the manor is, it can't protect you from yourself. And I, as well as Selina and Director Fury, think it's best if you go be with your family. They're what matters the most at the moment."

 _Wise words from Mister Wayne himself_ , Kat thought. Deep down, she knew he was right. If she kept staying in a town where she was famous for a myriad of things—whether they be legal or not—she'd be putting herself at risk, as well as everyone else around her. And as much as her conscience told her not to give a rat's ass about anyone else but herself—she wasn't a sociopath. She had people she loved and cared for, and she guessed making sacrifices were a big step in the right direction away from a life she'd rather not revel in anymore. Especially if that life involved being caught on the wrong side of Gotham 'politics' and underground warfare.

So, family, it was.

Before Kat could reply to Bruce's questionably heartfelt speech, a loud knock on the manor's oak front doors could be heard ringing throughout the foyer, echoing into the living room. There was only one guess of who that could be, and Kat was partially grateful that they arrived before she had to have a deep and meaningful with Bruce Wayne.

"I shall get that, sir," Alfred nodded his head and headed straight for the double front doors. Bruce, Kat, and Dick all stayed in the living room.

Alfred curtly opened the doors, to find the awaiting figures of Natasha and Roy, both standing awkwardly as they reacted to the butler opening the doors. "Ah. Good morning, Miss Summer and…" Alfred's gaze lingered on the unexpectant figure of the redhead. "…Mister Harper."

"Morning, Alfred," Tash greeted politely, grinning widely, waving a gloved hand in his direction; Roy silently gestured his hello by shooting him a small smile. Tash craned her neck to try and see if Kat was already waiting for her. "She all packed and ready to go?"

"Thanks to the lovely efforts of Master Bruce and I, your sister is indeed ready to embark on her journey from the manor, Miss Summer," Alfred bowed his head slightly, and courteously gestured for the two to go inside. Tash stepped across the threshold before Roy, immediately spotting the signature blonde ponytail that could only have been the back of Kat's head. She also spotted the two familiar figures of Bruce and Dick.

"C'mon, kitty girl, we're leaving straightaway," Tash called out to her sister; the golden blonde craned her neck around to give her older sister a venomous side-eye glare.

"'Sup, sis," the sixteen-year-old unwound herself back around and crossed her arms almost as petulantly as a five-year-old child would. "'Sup, _Harper_ ," she drawled just as maliciously.

The older girl sighed, her shoulders sagged as she did. "Come on. What's crawled up your butt?" She crossed her arms indignantly, Roy stepping up beside her, his expression seemingly indifferent to Kat's unfriendly tone.

"Hm, let me think…" Kat spoke sarcastically, carefully lifting herself off of her chair, facing the two young adults. "Maybe—just maybe—I might be a teensy bit aggravated at the fact that you, Selina, the Grim Reaper-slash-James Bond over here—" she pointed at Bruce—"and Nick _motherfucking_ Fury are making me leave Gotham because of some stupid threat that never even applied to me and you, since we don't even live in New York!" The poor girl was almost out of breath by now, but everyone in the vicinity was now paying attention to the situation at hand, even Dick, who had stopped playing his game. "Like, what the hell, Tash?!" Kat's arms went limp with a smack, her exasperation very clear in both her voice and her actions.

Tash closed her eyes for a solid moment, biting her lip to save herself from retaliating with a response just as rude as her sister's. She quickly looked over at Roy, who immediately thought it would be a good idea to let her handle this one since this was clearly a family matter that he'd underestimated the severity of. He was silent, yet he gave Tash a clear look that said, 'You know what to say to her, you just don't want to in case it makes things worse'. The familiarity of his gaze made Tash think twice about what she was going to say, making her grateful that she'd brought the archer along with her.

Tash's almond locks melded into a murky brown shade from the overcast sky that covered Gotham in its entirety. She took a deep breath before responding in an authoritative voice, "The threat that Wilson Fisk made was aimed at our _entire_ family, not just Brittany and Joe. We might not live in Manhattan, Kat, but we have a younger brother and sister to take care of, and as the elder siblings of the fucked up quartet of kids that S.H.I.E.L.D. has produced, you should be _more_ than willing to do something about a problem like this. Understand me?" Tash remained calm and maintained her composure the entire time she spoke.

For a second—only just a second—the scornful expression on Kat's face flickered into one of pity and guilt. However, the level of maturity that the feline protégé showcased was close to a small child's, and her pride got the better of her. "I shouldn't have to apologize for having a reasonable reaction to something I don't like."

This time it was Bruce's turn to sigh. Kat Summer was a handful and the direness of the debacle that was to ensue if the Summer sisters didn't depart soon-who knew what could happen the longer they stayed.

"Katrina, enough." There it was. The grave Batman voice. "Go with your sister. I'm sure Selina would be delighted if she found you running rampant near the Narrows instead of trying to do the right thing."

"As if I haven't done worse than that, Bruce," Kat snapped back. She wasn't intimidated by him one bit. The young girl walked right up to his towering figure over her, sticking her nose up in defiance; Bruce's piercing gaze left her completely unfazed, much to everyone else's surprise. "You know what, I think I _will_ leave. Being in a place like this for too long makes me nauseous."

Without another second wasted, Kat quickly stormed over to her animal-skinned suitcase and Louis Vuitton carry-on bag. She firmly pulled up the metal handle of her suitcase with a snap, making it clear that she was angry. She began to click-clack her heels away from the living room, before turning around to the two residents of Wayne Manor, calling out, "Bye, Bruce. Bye, dickhole. Thanks for letting me stay. I hope to never come back." And with a flick of her ponytail, she whipped around to the manor's exit, wishing Alfred a much happier farewell, before clomping down the front steps.

Tash and Roy shared a look with each other, as well as Bruce and Dick. Well, that whole ordeal went less smoothly then they'd imagined, but at least they were free to leave now.

"Thanks, Bruce," Tash gave the man a hopeful look, as he frowned, yet nodded in return. "I guess I'll be seeing you soon. I'm really sorry about Kat—"

"Not to worry, Tasha," Bruce put his hands in his pockets, his matching grey waistcoat making him look impeccable. "Kat always comes around in the end. She just needs some time and space to process all this. She's not going to get that here."

"Let's hope you're right." As surprised as Tash was that Dick hadn't piped up to say anything for the entirety of this time, she figured it would be best if she said goodbye. "See you, Dick."

"Later, Tash," the raven-haired boy gave her a small wave, before inevitably turning toward the stoic figure of Roy. "Speedy—"

"We're leaving," Roy cut him off, as he himself turned on his heel to leave, stalking straight past Alfred, who by now looked exceptionally done with the whole ordeal.

Tash looked at him, to the two other males, then at Alfred, and just decided to mouth, " _Bye!_ " and quickly rushed after her hot-headed companions.

She hastily ran down the steps, heading over to the two brooding figures of Roy and her sister. "Jesus Christ, you two couldn't be any ruder, could you?" Her coat flapped in the wind as she ran and slowed down to a walking pace, catching up with the pair.

"Don't be surprised, sister. There's a lot you miss out on over the span of twelve months," Kat stated, strutting alongside the taller girl, her eyes covered with the expansive size of her Gucci sunglasses.

"This was a really last minute job, Tash. You couldn't have expected me to play nice after what happened yesterday," Roy chipped in, his hands securely shoved within the pockets of his red and black jacket.

The Green Lantern stalked a few paces ahead of the two, letting out an almighty groan that fully expressed the stress that she'd been experiencing for the past twenty-one hours. This was going to be a lot harder than she thought.

* * *

 **COAST CITY  
JULY 5, 20:13 EST**

"So… I get all four of you in my apartment, now?" Hal had his arms folded, as he paced back and forth behind his kitchen island; all four of the Summer siblings were now seated across on the other side. Aside from Tash; she stayed standing. "Great…" The thirty-three-year-old man immaturely groaned into his hands, covering his face from the children sitting in front of him.

The three younger siblings shifted uncomfortably in their seats, not really knowing what to say to a man who had next to no experience in dealing with a bunch of kids that had just been plopped into his home.

"What would Bruce do…" Hal's question got muffled by his hands over his mouth, as he leaned his elbows on the counter top, his eyes darting to each of the children (warningly at Tash).

"Well, Bruce kicked me out, so if you're gonna do that, too, I may as well sell all of my shit now if I'm gonna become homeless," Kat's shades were still on her face despite being indoors, her chin resting atop her hand.

Tash scoffed at her sister's bigoted remark. "Kat, you literally left at your own will. Bruce didn't make you do anything. Sure, he might've tried extremely hard to convince you to leave, but you were the one who made that decision in the end."

"I don't need you dictating how my life works, _Tash_. You're my sister, not my fucking mother," Kat spat back, her composure no longer relaxed.

"You better watch it before I knock those stupid shades off your face. I know you stole them, _Kat_ —"

"WOULD YOU TWO SHUT UP?!" The loud, masculine voice of Joseph broke the tension between the two sisters, who were still fuming at each other, yet surprised at their brother's outburst. "God…" he muttered. Now it was Joe's turn to put his face in his hands; he didn't feel like looking at either of the girls and blocking his gaze from them was the fastest solution to that problem.

"I think I'm starting to see why the four of us got separated from each other for so long," Brittany uttered in a small voice, her secretly dampened eyes were shielded behind her polarized sunglasses due to the photosensitivity of her condition.

The siblings stayed quiet after that, leaving Hal to lean on his hands, looking back and forth between each of them, really having no clue as to how this was going to play out. The man slowly dipped his head so the kids couldn't look at his hopeless expression, before thinking for a few seconds. If Batman wasn't willing to do squat about the siblings' living arrangements after having to deal with his part of the situation, where else could they possibly turn to without burdening Hal and everyone else? Anyone else's guess was as good as Hal's, but before he could even think of contacting anyone from the Justice League, his phone began to ring with an unknown number on the screen.

"Who could that be?" Tash asked, her brow furrowed at the unexpected call.

"Only one way to find out, isn't there?" Hal replied, his voice laced with annoyance, as he carefully picked up his phone and swiped to answer it. "Hello, this is Hal Jordan speaking."

" _Glad you could talk, Jordan_." A familiarly gruff voice answered the call. " _I have a proposal for you that you may not like, but as of this moment, it's not your life that is at stake here._ "

Hal looked incredibly confused a the cryptic statement the person had made. " _Excuse me? Say what now?_ " Tash rolled her eyes at her mentor's bluntness.

" _Bring the Summer kids to the S.H.I.E.L.D. HQ in Washington and you'll understand soon enough, Jordan. Don't be late_." The call immediately ended, leaving Hal in a state of panic and ultimate confusion.

"What the hell just happened?" Hal asked more so to himself than to anyone else, yet Brittany was the one to answer him whether he was being rhetoric or not.

"The volume on your phone is really loud. That was Nick Fury. If he wants us at the Triskelion in Washington, D.C. then we should probably go ASAP." Brittany's mood had turned into one of focus and motivation.

"What the hell is a Triskelion?!" Hal asked incredulously, throwing his arms in the air.

"It's the S.H.I.E.L.D. headquarters, calm down," Tash said curtly. "It's not exactly the most popular landmark in the country, but that doesn't mean it's not as important as a place like the Hall of Justice or the White House. We need to leave."

Tash quickly grabbed her car keys that were sitting on the bench and put her coat back on, not at all pleased that she had to go out again. She abruptly stopped in her tracks to see that no one else had moved, and her patience was slowly starting to slip away from her self-control. " _Now_."

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 **End of the chapter! I know, my updating hasn't been very regular, but I'm not giving up on this story. Chapters are just hard to formulate sometimes. Never fear, I'm going to start working on the next chapter as soon as this one goes up.**

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